ZODIAC CZ7 RC
THE LEGENDARY ZODIAC CZ7 CONVERTED INTO A MODEL, AN INTERESTING ADAPTATION TO BRUSHLESS MAKES IT IF IT FITS MORE INTERESTING FOR THE NAVAL MODELING FAN
Manufactured by the company New Bright and offered in Spain during 2011 by a well-known chain of shopping centers, and at a low price it was an interesting purchase for those of us who like the Zodiac, in this video you can see it in detail
Placing a key cam on board can make fun videos, however it is a very slow boat and with a serious problem, the water enters easily so we must be careful not to lose it.
In the first test in the water, some problems are discovered, however the important thing is that the motor pulls without problems and is able to make our little Zodiac plan effortlessly.
A servo is installed to handle the rudder inside a false motor, it is about avoiding the entry of water through the rudder drive mechanism to the servo, however water continues to enter and the boat oscillates more than desirable
This is the final result, the goal of keeping our Zodiac CZ7 dry and significantly improving its stability is achieved, which only jumps logically when it encounters undulations, in short, a fun, fast and attractively made boat based on a cheap toy and with economic components.
The Zodiac CZ7 proves to be in top shape in this video
We build a trailer for the zodiac
And we set sail!
Even with a helicopter on board!
We even sailed her in the Mediterranean Sea!
Zodiac CZ7 RC
RC model (48 cm) to scale of the famous Zodiac CZ7, the fake engines act as rudders (not proportional).
The float is perforated at the bottom to allow water to enter and exit the float.
We turn to the well-known motors of our quadcopter and its esc for this task, they are very light and powerful motors (besides cheap) perfect to launch this little zodiac at full speed.
These are the necessary components for the modification of our Zodiac CZ7:
Code Description Qty
BP22-Sleeve Boat Shaft Sleeve - 255mm 1
BP22-SProp 4mm Shaft and Prop September 1
TR_B18 TURNIGY Basic 18A v3.1 Speed Controller 1
AX-2210N 2210N 1000Kv Brushless Motor 1
We must logically add two-component epoxy to close the huge opening that we will make to install the propeller shaft
To install the motor, we have to do a little trick and that is to change the a of the shaft to adapt it to the output of the propeller shaft.
Just change the orientation of the shaft, we will remove the clip and we will have enough margin to screw it to the piece that goes to the propeller shaft
We will cut the entire part of the hull that holds the original propeller, we will only use the fastening part with screws but very reduced, to get the appropriate angle
This is the final result, we took the propeller just behind the transom and slightly submerged (very little)
We will seal well with epoxy to achieve robustness and that water does not enter the boat.
The engine mount will be perfectly fixed to the hull, thanks to the notches it has
We install the lipo centered and fixed with rubber bands to an aluminum piece, we install a servo instead of the false servo that the model brings
To add more realism we install this hard top that makes our Zodiac CZ7 more real without a doubt.
In this video you can see the steps followed and the sound of the engine turning at full speed
I decide to seal the deck, previously two deck surfaces are cut to access the motor and to be able to change the battery, the inside of the floats is glued to prevent water from entering from the sides in the turns.
You can see the key chain cam on the hard top
Detail of the rudder mechanism, you can also see the planes added to the hull to make the ship's navigation more stable, the rudder also has a small horizontal plane to make it more stable
Another view of the planes installed to improve stability in navigation and the rudder mechanism, made with a screw welded to a plane and a fiberglass arm.